No Labour Court date, says IMO

THE IRISH Medical Organisation (IMO) has said it has received no invitation to attend the Labour Court in relation to planned work practice reforms for hospital consultants.

Last week health service management referred proposals for reform to the Labour Court for binding arbitration under the Croke Park agreement after a proposed deal reached at the Labour Relations Commission last month on the issue appeared to unravel.

The Minister for Health, James Reilly, said on Monday that the Labour Court had a date available for a hearing on the issue tomorrow.

He warned that if hospital consultants did not co-operate with a Labour Court recommendation they could find themselves outside the protections of the Croke Park agreement, which could lead to pay cuts.

However the IMO, one of the two organisations which represent hospital consultants, said yesterday it had not received any invitation to attend the Labour Court.

The IMO, in a letter sent to the Labour Relations Commission, this week said it was committed to the Croke Park agreement.